ShellTA as an Emergency/Lunch Shelter

Production ShellTAs are longer than this pototype.

In the wet and blustery British hills it’s sometimes useful to get undercover for lunch stops (and emergencies). Sharing body warmth inside any shelter makes an enormous difference and large group shelters have become standard equipment for Mountain Rescue Teams and Instructors. This was the original purpose of the shelters I made. It’s also worth pointing out that if you are trying to reduce heat loss then you should maintain minimum contact with the ground, ideally using a sit mat, rucksack or rope as insulation beneath you.

The ShellTA will seat two people inside by simply pulling it over your heads and sitting down side by side (with zips closed in poncho mode). Arrange the fabric so that you sit on a small section and rest your feet on the remaining fabric to prevent drafts. I find it best to take my sack off first and put it between my legs so that I can access it inside the ShellTA and I use a sit mat to add insulation.

The side by side seating in the ShellTA makes it comfortable to sit on the leeward side of a ridge line or hill, out of the wind. Each person can vent their side of the ShellTA using the zips, or look out at the clouds skidding past. Even when the sides are zipped up, the hood can act as an air vent.

ShellTAs can be zipped together for larger groups. Two will generally accomodate 5 medium build people.